Processes (Case Studies)
Automation		Laboratory Research Equipment
Production Equipment and Fixturing		Electronic Devices
Motion Systems		Space Related Hardware
Laboratory Animal Care Equipment

Electronic Devices: Energy Saving Panel - On-Board Recorder - Shelter Lighting

Energy Saving Panel

For the past 18 months Techshot has been working with GreenerWay, LLC to develop the core technology behind a system which permits real-time monitoring and control of a home or business’s power distribution and usage.

The GreenerWay Energy Saving Panel, which replaces the standard breaker box, can help customers reduce energy consumption and the associated greenhouse gasses released to the air by large power generation stations. Usage data can be accessed over an in-house network and/or the internet.

Developed in phases, Techshot was tasked initially with developing concepts for the system, including preliminary circuit designs.

Next, its engineers designed and assembled pre-production prototypes of the panel, which included custom circuits and firmware. They also developed custom PC-based software for testing and evaluating its performance.

Later, Techshot initiated the process required for testing by Underwriter’s Laboratory and worked with a contract manufacturer to prepare the design package for mass production.

Future enhancements to the system may add the ability to monitor and control power usage at individual electrical outlets.

At the February 2008 meeting of the Venture Club of Louisville, GreenerWay was announced as the recipient of the 2007 Vogt Invention and Innovation Award. Funded through a $5 million endowment left by industrialist Henry Vogt Heuser, the award is intended to help innovators get the recognition and financial support they need to commercialize their products.

The award is expected to help GreenerWay accelerate the product development cycle and begin sales of the Energy Saving Panel by fall 2008.

For more information about GreenerWay and the Energy Saving Panel visit www.agreenerwayoflife.com.

The mechanical, electrical and software engineers and technicians at Techshot always are eager to take on interesting product development projects. Tell us about your needs and we’ll discuss where they intersect with Techshot capabilities.

 

On-Board Recorder

In the development of precision guided munitions, information about the harsh environment inside the gun barrel during firing is of critical importance. The collection of accurate acceleration and pressure data, as well as other performance parameters (stress, temperature, etc.) is essential to ensuring the accuracy of these munitions when fielded.

Continued in-flight recording of data, such as set-back and set-forward acceleration, spin rate, and guidance, navigation and control data also is paramount to the development of cost-effective precision munitions. To obtain information about the nature of these environments, a data acquisition system (an On-Board Recorder, or OBR) is placed in an inert projectile and fired. Units are located after impact and connected to a computer to retrieve the recorded data.

At present, an OBR is in use providing data in support of the XM982 Excalibur program, the MRM (Medium Range Munitions) program, IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) Development and other ARDEC programs as well as outside customers.

The Army's current OBR only fits in 155 mm projectiles and it has serious shortcomings - resolution, sample speed, channel capacity, programmability and ease of use are among the most significant. Additionally, without a smaller OBR, the development of precision guided 120mm and 105mm projectiles is severely hindered.

Other agencies within the U.S. Department of Defense also currently rely on antiquated OBR designs. The Air Force, for example, has expressed a need for an improved miniaturized device, which it needs for developing improved "bunker-buster" bombs. It also wants to retrieve data from the OBR wirelessly.

Techshot is developing an advanced OBR that rectifies the old version's shortcomings - including the ability to fit in 155 mm, 120 mm and 105 mm projectiles.

Other improvements, such as miniaturization, shock-hardening to 100,000 times the force of gravity and the inclusion of a wireless communications capability, make the Techshot OBR valuable to many other military branches beyond the Army. Advancements in miniaturization and manufacturability also will enable the development of new research programs with calibers significantly smaller than 105 mm.

The maturation of advanced OBR technology will have immediate utility for manufacturers of guidance and navigation systems, projectiles, fuzes, and other munitions related products. Moreover, the technology eveloped will be suitable to any commercial application where data collection at high sampling rates is required, particularly where a rugged self-powered data recording module is desirable.

 

Shelter Lighting System

Revealed for the first time at a recent exhibition of new military technology in Virginia Beach, Va., a prototype of Techshot's solid state shelter lighting system was one of the shining stars of the show.

The high intensity light emitting diode (LED) array, developed for the U.S. Army's Natick (Massachusetts) Soldier RD&E Center, outperforms old fluorescent tubes in every way.

"The existing lighting system for U.S. Army shelters is heavy and has several logistical headaches associated with it," said Techshot Director of Military Business Development Jim Cherry. "Fluorescent systems can weigh nearly 100 pounds; our's weighs approximately 75 percent less."

And because the Techshot system is incredibly rugged, no one has to spend time shipping fragile replacement tubes all over the globe or dealing with the environmental hazards of broken or expended tube disposal.

Using less energy, the Techshot solution produces three times the light output of traditional technology. And whatever the weather, this LED-based system provides instant flicker-free task lighting. "We've tested our lights at 40 below and they still maintain approximately 80 percent of their normal brightness," said Cherry. "Fluorescent tubes are barely visible at that temperature."

But even at their optimum operating temperatures, fluorescent and incandescent lighting can't match the quality produced by this system. "Under our lights, colors are more discernible," said Cherry. "If you're looking at a map and it is critically important that you can clearly see the difference between black and brown, blue and teal or red and pink lines, then you need nothing less than the pure light provided by this product."

The company's solid state lighting system is a one-time installation solution that will last the life of the tent or longer. Soldiers never again have to waste time removing and reinstalling task lighting every time their units move. And less time dealing with tent lighting results in more time available for more important mission-critical tasks.

Besides the army and other branches of the military, agencies such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency also have situational needs for rugged, reliable, efficient and easy to use shelter lighting. Commercial applications also are being explored.

For more information about the Techshot solid state lighting system contact Jim Cherry at 812-923-9591 x286, or jcherry@techshot.com.

 

Features One-time installation Instant-on and flicker free Less eye strain -- 3x light output Dimmable zones Expandable daisy chain configuration Rugged mil-spec components 100,000 hour life span Reduces hazardous waste Reduces logistics headaches

Operational Capabilities Provides in excess of 400 lux at work surface Operates from -40 to 120° F Scalable -- up to three independent zones per controller Control panel incorporates non-contact switches Each light assembly weighs less than 1.5 lb.